Playback device group volume control

ABSTRACT

Embodiments are provided for satellite volume control. An example method includes receiving an input at a playback device to adjust a volume for a plurality of playback devices that are grouped for synchronous playback of audio content, wherein the plurality of playback devices includes the playback device. The method also includes sending a first message over a network from the playback device to a device associated with the plurality of playback devices, the first message including information based on the input, wherein the information is used to adjust the volume of the plurality of playback devices. The method also includes receiving a second message at the playback device over the network, the second message including information for the volume of the playback device, wherein the volume is based on the adjusted volume of the plurality of playback devices.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/217,670 filed on Jul. 22, 2016 which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/910,608 filed Jun. 5, 2013, both of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, tomethods, systems, products, features, services, and other items directedto media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Digital music has become readily available due in part to thedevelopment of consumer level technology that has allowed people tolisten to digital music on a personal audio device. The consumer'sincreasing preference for digital audio has also resulted in theintegration of personal audio devices into PDAs, cellular phones, andother mobile devices. The portability of these mobile devices hasenabled people to take the music listening experience with them andoutside of the home. People have become able to consume digital music,like digital music files or even Internet radio, in the home through theuse of their computer or similar devices. Now there are many differentways to consume digital music, in addition to other digital contentincluding digital video and photos, stimulated in many ways byhigh-speed Internet access at home, mobile broadband Internet access,and the consumer's hunger for digital media.

Until recently, options for accessing and listening to digital audio inan out-loud setting were severely limited. In 2005, Sonos offered forsale its first digital audio system that enabled people to, among manyother things, access virtually unlimited sources of audio via one ormore networked connected zone players, dynamically group or ungroup zoneplayers upon command, wirelessly send the audio over a local networkamongst zone players, and play the digital audio out loud in synchrony.The Sonos system can be controlled by software applications downloadedto certain network capable, mobile devices and computers.

Given the insatiable appetite of consumers towards digital media, therecontinues to be a need to develop consumer technology thatrevolutionizes the way people access and consume digital media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologymay be better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration in which certain embodiments maybe practiced;

FIG. 2A shows an illustration of an example zone player having abuilt-in amplifier and transducers;

FIG. 2B shows an illustration of an example zone player having abuilt-in amplifier and connected to external speakers;

FIG. 2C shows an illustration of an example zone player connected to anA/V receiver and speakers;

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of an example controller;

FIG. 4 shows an internal functional block diagram of an example zoneplayer;

FIG. 5 shows an internal functional block diagram of an examplecontroller;

FIG. 6 shows an example network for media content playback;

FIG. 7 shows an example ad-hoc playback network;

FIG. 8 shows a system including a plurality of networks including acloud-based network and at least one local playback network;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative flowchart for an example method forsatellite volume control;

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative flowchart for an example method for volumecontrol in a bonded zone;

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative flowchart for another example method forvolume control a bonded zone;

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative flow path for satellite volume control inan example environment;

FIG. 13 shows another illustrative flow path for satellite volumecontrol in an example environment;

FIG. 14 shows another illustrative flow path for satellite volumecontrol in an example environment;

In addition, the drawings are for the purpose of illustrating exampleembodiments, but it is understood that the inventions are not limited tothe arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

Embodiments disclosed herein enable satellite volume control for aplurality of playback devices that are grouped for synchronous playbackof audio content. In some embodiments, the plurality of playback devicesincludes a primary playback device and one or more secondary (orsatellite) playback devices. In some embodiments, the group of playbackdevices may behave in a synchronized fashion (e.g., a bonded zone). Thatis, the playback devices included in the bonded zone may play the sameor different channels of an audio signal such that the playback devicesplay back information from the audio signal with no (or substantiallyno) audible delays or hiccups. In some embodiments, input (e.g., userinput) received at any one playback device of the bonded zone applies tothe plurality of playback devices forming the bonded zone. Unlike priorsystems, embodiments disclosed herein enable a volume change requestreceived at a secondary playback device in a bonded zone to bepropagated throughout the bonded zone such that audio content heard fromthe playback devices of the bonded zone corresponds to the requestedvolume change rather than only at the secondary playback device.

Other embodiments, as those discussed in the following and others as canbe appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art are alsopossible.

II. Example Operating Environment

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals can refer to likeparts throughout the figures, FIG. 1 shows an example media systemconfiguration 100 in which one or more embodiments disclosed herein canbe practiced or implemented.

By way of illustration, the media system configuration 100 is associatedwith a home having multiple zones, though the home could have beenconfigured with only one zone. Additionally, one or more zones can beadded over time. Each zone may be assigned by a user to a different roomor space, such as, for example, an office, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen,dining room, family room, home theater room, utility or laundry room,and patio. A single zone might also include multiple rooms or spaces ifso configured. With respect to FIG. 1, one or more of zone players102-124 are shown in each respective zone. A zone player 102-124, alsoreferred to herein as a playback device, multimedia unit, speaker,player, and so on, provides audio, video, and/or audiovisual output. Acontroller 130 (e.g., shown in the kitchen for purposes of thisillustration) provides control to the media system configuration 100.Controller 130 may be fixed to a zone, or alternatively, mobile suchthat it can be moved about the zones. The media system configuration 100may also include more than one controller 130, and additionalcontrollers may be added to the system over time.

The media system configuration 100 illustrates an example whole housemedia system, though it is understood that the technology describedherein is not limited to, among other things, its particular place ofapplication or to an expansive system like a whole house media system100 of FIG. 1.

a. Example Zone Players

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show example types of zone players. Zone players200, 202, and 204 of FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, respectively, can correspondto any of the zone players 102-124 of FIG. 1, for example. In someembodiments, audio is reproduced using only a single zone player, suchas by a full-range player. In some embodiments, audio is reproducedusing two or more zone players, such as by using a combination offull-range players or a combination of full-range and specializedplayers. In some embodiments, zone players 200-204 may also be referredto as a “smart speaker,” because they contain processing capabilitiesbeyond the reproduction of audio, more of which is described below.

FIG. 2A illustrates zone player 200 that includes sound producingequipment 208 capable of reproducing full-range sound. The sound maycome from an audio signal that is received and processed by zone player200 over a wired or wireless data network. Sound producing equipment 208includes one or more built-in amplifiers and one or more acoustictransducers (e.g., speakers). A built-in amplifier is described morebelow with respect to FIG. 4. A speaker or acoustic transducer caninclude, for example, any of a tweeter, a mid-range driver, a low-rangedriver, and a subwoofer. In some embodiments, zone player 200 can bestatically or dynamically configured to play stereophonic audio,monaural audio, or both. In some embodiments, zone player 200 may bedynamically configured to reproduce a subset of full-range sound, suchas when zone player 200 is grouped with other zone players to playstereophonic audio, monaural audio, and/or surround audio or when theaudio content received by zone player 200 is less than full-range.

FIG. 2B illustrates zone player 202 that includes a built-in amplifierto power a set of detached speakers 210. A detached speaker can include,for example, any type of loudspeaker. Zone player 202 may be configuredto power one, two, or more separate loudspeakers. Zone player 202 may beconfigured to communicate an audio signal (e.g., right and left channelaudio or more channels depending on its configuration) to the detachedspeakers 210 via a wired path.

FIG. 2C illustrates zone player 204 that does not include a built-inamplifier, but is configured to communicate an audio signal, receivedover a data network, to an audio (or “audio/video”) receiver 214 withbuilt-in amplification.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, one, some, or all of thezone players 102 to 124 can retrieve audio directly from a source. Forexample, a particular zone player in a zone or zone group may beassigned to a playback queue (or “queue”). The playback queue containsinformation corresponding to zero or more audio items for playback bythe associated zone or zone group. The playback queue may be stored inmemory on a zone player or some other designated device. Each itemcontained in the playback queue may comprise a uniform resourceidentifier (URI) or some other identifier that can be used by the zoneplayer(s) to seek out and/or retrieve the audio items from theidentified audio source(s). Depending on the item, the audio sourcemight be found on the Internet (e.g., the cloud), locally from anotherdevice over the data network 128 (described further below), from thecontroller 130, stored on the zone player itself, or from an audiosource communicating directly to the zone player. In some embodiments,the zone player can reproduce the audio itself (e.g., play the audio),send the audio to another zone player for reproduction, or both wherethe audio is reproduced by the zone player as well as one or moreadditional zone players (possibly in synchrony). In some embodiments,the zone player may play a first audio content (or alternatively, maynot play the content at all), while sending a second, different audiocontent to another zone player(s) for reproduction. To the user, eachitem in a playback queue is represented on an interface of a controllerby an element such as a track name, album name, playlist, or other someother representation. A user can populate the playback queue with audioitems of interest. The user may also modify and clear the playbackqueue, if so desired.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif. presentlyoffers for sale zone players referred to as a “PLAY:5,” “PLAY:3,”“PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any other past, present,and/or future zone players can additionally or alternatively be used toimplement the zone players of example embodiments disclosed herein.Additionally, it is understood that a zone player is not limited to theparticular examples illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C or to the SONOSproduct offerings. For example, a zone player may include a wired orwireless headphone. In yet another example, a zone player might includea sound bar for television. In yet another example, a zone player mayinclude or interact with a docking station for an Apple IPOD™ or similardevice.

b. Example Controllers

FIG. 3 illustrates an example wireless controller 300 in docking station302. By way of illustration, controller 300 may correspond tocontrolling device 130 of FIG. 1. Docking station 302, if provided orused, may provide power to the controller 300 and additionally maycharge a battery of controller 300. In some embodiments, controller 300may be provided with a touch screen 304 that allows a user to interactthrough touch with the controller 300, for example, to retrieve andnavigate a playlist of audio items, control operations of one or morezone players, and provide overall control of the system configuration100. In other embodiments, other input mechanisms such as voice controlmay be used to interact with the controller 300. In certain embodiments,any number of controllers can be used to control the systemconfiguration 100. In some embodiments, there may be a limit set on thenumber of controllers that can control the system configuration 100. Thecontrollers might be wireless like wireless controller 300 or wired todata network 128.

In some embodiments, if more than one controller is used in system 100of FIG. 1, each controller may be coordinated to display common content,and may all be dynamically updated to indicate changes made to thesystem 100 from a single controller. Coordination can occur, forinstance, by a controller periodically requesting a state variabledirectly or indirectly from one or more of the zone players; the statevariable may provide information about system 100, such as current zonegroup configuration, what is playing in one or more zones, volumelevels, and other items of interest. The state variable may be passedaround on data network 128 between zone players (and controllers, if sodesired) as needed or as often as programmed.

In addition, an application running on any network-enabled portabledevice, such as an IPHONE™ IPAD™ ANDROID™ powered phone or tablet, orany other smart phone or network-enabled device can be used ascontroller 130. An application running on a laptop or desktop personalcomputer (PC) or Mac™ can also be used as controller 130. Suchcontrollers may connect to system 100 through an interface with datanetwork 128, a zone player, a wireless router, or using some otherconfigured connection path. Example controllers offered by Sonos, Inc.of Santa Barbara, Calif. include a “Controller 200,” “SONOS® CONTROL,”“SONOS® Controller for IPHONE™,” “SONOS® Controller for IPAD™,” “SONOS®Controller for ANDROID™,” “SONOS® Controller for MAC™ or PC.”

c. Example Data Connection

Zone players 102 to 124 of FIG. 1 are coupled directly or indirectly toa data network, such as data network 128. Controller 130 may also becoupled directly or indirectly to data network 128 or individual zoneplayers. Data network 128 is represented by an octagon in the figure tostand out from other representative components. While data network 128is shown in a single location, it is understood that such a network isdistributed in and around system 100. Particularly, data network 128 canbe a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination of both wiredand wireless networks. In some embodiments, one or more of the zoneplayers 102-124 are wirelessly coupled to data network 128 based on aproprietary mesh network. In some embodiments, one or more of the zoneplayers are coupled to data network 128 using a centralized access pointsuch as a wired or wireless router. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe zone players 102-124 are coupled via a wire to data network 128using Ethernet or similar technology. In addition to the one or morezone players 102-124 connecting to data network 128, data network 128can further allow access to a wide area network, such as the Internet.

In some embodiments, connecting any of the zone players 102-124, or someother connecting device, to a broadband router, can create data network128. Other zone players 102-124 can then be added wired or wirelessly tothe data network 128. For example, a zone player (e.g., any of zoneplayers 102-124) can be added to the system configuration 100 by simplypressing a button on the zone player itself (or perform some otheraction), which enables a connection to be made to data network 128. Thebroadband router can be connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP),for example. The broadband router can be used to form another datanetwork within the system configuration 100, which can be used in otherapplications (e.g., web surfing). Data network 128 can also be used inother applications, if so programmed. An example, second network mayimplement SONOSNET™ protocol, developed by SONOS, Inc. of Santa Barbara.SONOSNET™ represents a secure, AES-encrypted, peer-to-peer wireless meshnetwork. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the data network 128 isthe same network, such as a traditional wired or wireless network, usedfor other applications in the household.

d. Example Zone Configurations

A particular zone can contain one or more zone players. For example, thefamily room of FIG. 1 contains two zone players 106 and 108, while thekitchen is shown with one zone player 102. In another example, the hometheater room contains additional zone players to play audio from a 5.1channel or greater audio source (e.g., a movie encoded with 5.1 orgreater audio channels). In some embodiments, one can position a zoneplayer in a room or space and assign the zone player to a new orexisting zone via controller 130. As such, zones may be created,combined with another zone, removed, and given a specific name (e.g.,“Kitchen”), if so desired and programmed to do so with controller 130.Moreover, in some embodiments, zone configurations may be dynamicallychanged even after being configured using controller 130 or some othermechanism.

In some embodiments, a “bonded zone” is a zone that contains two or morezone players, such as the two zone players 106 and 108 in the familyroom, whereby the two zone players 106 and 108 can be configured to playthe same audio source in synchrony. In one example, the two zone players106 and 108 can be paired to play two separate sounds in left and rightchannels, for example. In other words, the stereo effects of a sound canbe reproduced or enhanced through the two zone players 106 and 108, onefor the left sound and the other for the right sound. In another exampletwo or more zone players can be sonically consolidated to form a single,consolidated zone player. A consolidated zone player (though made up ofmultiple, separate devices) can be configured to process and reproducesound differently than an unconsolidated zone player or zone playersthat are paired, because a consolidated zone player has additionalspeaker drivers from which sound can be passed. The consolidated zoneplayer can further be paired with a single zone player or yet anotherconsolidated zone player. Each playback device of a consolidatedplayback device can be set in a consolidated mode, for example.

In certain embodiments, paired or consolidated zone players (alsoreferred to as “bonded zone players”) can play audio in synchrony withother zone players in the same or different zones.

According to some embodiments, one can continue to do any of: group,consolidate, and pair zone players, for example, until a desiredconfiguration is complete. The actions of grouping, consolidation, andpairing are preferably performed through a control interface, such asusing controller 130, and not by physically connecting and re-connectingspeaker wire, for example, to individual, discrete speakers to createdifferent configurations. As such, certain embodiments described hereinprovide a more flexible and dynamic platform through which soundreproduction can be offered to the end-user.

e. Example Audio Sources

In some embodiments, each zone can play from the same audio source asanother zone or each zone can play from a different audio source. Forexample, someone can be grilling on the patio and listening to jazzmusic via zone player 124, while someone is preparing food in thekitchen and listening to classical music via zone player 102. Further,someone can be in the office listening to the same jazz music via zoneplayer 110 that is playing on the patio via zone player 124. In someembodiments, the jazz music played via zone players 110 and 124 isplayed in synchrony. Synchronizing playback amongst zones allows forsomeone to pass through zones while seamlessly (or substantiallyseamlessly) listening to the audio. Further, zones can be put into a“party mode” such that all associated zones will play audio insynchrony.

Sources of audio content to be played by zone players 102-124 arenumerous. In some embodiments, audio on a zone player itself may beaccessed and played. In some embodiments, audio on a controller may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. In some embodiments, musicfrom a personal library stored on a computer or networked-attachedstorage (NAS) may be accessed via the data network 128 and played. Insome embodiments, Internet radio stations, shows, and podcasts may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. Music or cloud servicesthat let a user stream and/or download music and audio content may beaccessed via the data network 128 and played. Further, music may beobtained from traditional sources, such as a turntable or CD player, viaa line-in connection to a zone player, for example. Audio content mayalso be accessed using a different protocol, such as AIRPLAY™, which isa wireless technology by Apple, Inc., for example. Audio contentreceived from one or more sources can be shared amongst the zone players102 to 124 via data network 128 and/or controller 130. Theabove-disclosed sources of audio content are referred to herein asnetwork-based audio information sources. However, network-based audioinformation sources are not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the example home theater zone players 116, 118, 120are coupled to an audio information source such as a television 132. Insome examples, the television 132 is used as a source of audio for thehome theater zone players 116, 118, 120, while in other examples audioinformation from the television 132 may be shared with any of the zoneplayers 102-124 in the audio system 100.

III. Example Zone Players

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown an example block diagram of azone player 400 in accordance with an embodiment. Zone player 400includes a network interface 402, a processor 408, a memory 410, anaudio processing component 412, one or more modules 414, an audioamplifier 416, and a speaker unit 418 coupled to the audio amplifier416. FIG. 2A shows an example illustration of such a zone player. Othertypes of zone players may not include the speaker unit 418 (e.g., suchas shown in FIG. 2B) or the audio amplifier 416 (e.g., such as shown inFIG. 2C). Further, it is contemplated that the zone player 400 can beintegrated into another component. For example, the zone player 400could be constructed as part of a television, lighting, or some otherdevice for indoor or outdoor use.

In some embodiments, network interface 402 facilitates a data flowbetween zone player 400 and other devices on a data network 128. In someembodiments, in addition to getting audio from another zone player ordevice on data network 128, zone player 400 may access audio directlyfrom the audio source, such as over a wide area network or on the localnetwork. In some embodiments, the network interface 402 can furtherhandle the address part of each packet so that it gets to the rightdestination or intercepts packets destined for the zone player 400.Accordingly, in certain embodiments, each of the packets includes anInternet Protocol (IP)-based source address as well as an IP-baseddestination address.

In some embodiments, network interface 402 can include one or both of awireless interface 404 and a wired interface 406. The wireless interface404, also referred to as a radio frequency (RF) interface, providesnetwork interface functions for the zone player 400 to wirelesslycommunicate with other devices (e.g., other zone player(s), speaker(s),receiver(s), component(s) associated with the data network 128, and soon) in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any wirelessstandard including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.15, 4Gmobile communication standard, and so on). Wireless interface 404 mayinclude one or more radios. To receive wireless signals and to providethe wireless signals to the wireless interface 404 and to transmitwireless signals, the zone player 400 includes one or more antennas 420.The wired interface 406 provides network interface functions for thezone player 400 to communicate over a wire with other devices inaccordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3). In someembodiments, a zone player includes multiple wireless 404 interfaces. Insome embodiments, a zone player includes multiple wired 406 interfaces.In some embodiments, a zone player includes both of the interfaces 404and 406. In some embodiments, a zone player 400 includes only thewireless interface 404 or the wired interface 406.

In some embodiments, the processor 408 is a clock-driven electronicdevice that is configured to process input data according toinstructions stored in memory 410. The memory 410 is data storage thatcan be loaded with one or more software module(s) 414, which can beexecuted by the processor 408 to achieve certain tasks. In theillustrated embodiment, the memory 410 is a tangible machine-readablemedium storing instructions that can be executed by the processor 408.In some embodiments, a task might be for the zone player 400 to retrieveaudio data from another zone player or a device on a network (e.g.,using a uniform resource locator (URL) or some other identifier). Insome embodiments, a task may be for the zone player 400 to send audiodata to another zone player or device on a network. In some embodiments,a task may be for the zone player 400 to synchronize playback of audiowith one or more additional zone players. In some embodiments, a taskmay be to pair the zone player 400 with one or more zone players tocreate a multi-channel audio environment. Additional or alternativetasks can be achieved via the one or more software module(s) 414 and theprocessor 408.

In some embodiments, the memory 410 can include a primary flag 422. Theprimary flag 422 indicates whether a zone player (e.g., the zone player400) is a primary playback device or a secondary playback device. Forexample, a first primary flag 422 value (e.g., the primary flag 422 isset, a positive value, a yes, a “1,” etc.) may indicate the zone player400 is a primary playback device while a secondary primary flag 422value (e.g., the primary flag 422 is cleared, a negative value, a no, a“0,” etc.) may indicate the zone player 400 is a secondary playbackdevice. In some embodiments, a primary playback device is elected (e.g.,selected, designated, etc.) from a group of playback devices (e.g., abonded zone, a zone group), while other playback devices in the bondedzone act in the role of secondary devices. In some such embodiment, theprimary playback device can have unidirectional control over thesecondary playback devices. Thus, in some embodiments, the memory 410may include a primary flag. The primary flag can indicate whether a zoneplayer acts as a primary playback device or as a secondary playbackdevice.

The audio processing component 412 can include one or moredigital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, anaudio enhancement component or a digital signal processor, and so on. Insome embodiments, the audio processing component 412 may be part ofprocessor 408. In some embodiments, the audio that is retrieved via thenetwork interface 402 is processed and/or intentionally altered by theaudio processing component 412. Further, the audio processing component412 can produce analog audio signals. The processed analog audio signalsare then provided to the audio amplifier 416 for playback throughspeakers 418. In addition, the audio processing component 412 caninclude circuitry to process analog or digital signals as inputs to playfrom zone player 400, send to another zone player on a network, or bothplay and send to another zone player on the network. An example inputincludes a line-in connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audioline-in connection).

In some embodiments, the zone player 400 can include a volume modifier424. In some embodiments, the volume modifier 424 may be included in theprocessor 408 and/or the audio processing component 412. In someembodiments, the volume modifier 424 receives an information packetincluding user input. For example, a user may select to adjust (e.g.,increase or decrease) the volume of a zone player. In some suchembodiments, the change in volume can be included in an informationpacket. In some embodiments, a user may select to adjust the gain of aplayback device. The gain of a playback is a multiplier that determineshow much audio output can be expected from the playback device for agiven input signal amplifier. In some embodiments, this gain (or level)can be determined as a ratio of the output voltage between speakerterminals of the playback device to the input voltage to the amplifierof the playback device. In some embodiments, the information packet isobtained via a user interface associated with (e.g., included in,coupled with, etc.) the playback device. In some embodiments, theinformation packet is obtained via the network interface 402. Forexample, a user can adjust the volume for a first playback device byselecting a desired volume change via a controller (e.g., the examplecontroller 300 of FIG. 3) and/or a user interface included with a secondplayback device. In some embodiments, the volume modifier 424 processesand/or intentionally alters the audio that is retrieved via the networkinterface 402 based on the obtained information packet (e.g., a volumechange). The volume modifier 424 can then provide the volume adjustedaudio signal to the audio processing component 412 for furtherprocessing and/or the audio amplifier 416 for playback through aspeaker(s) 418.

In some embodiments, the volume may be adjusted directly by theamplifier. For example, the audio amplifier 416 may adjust the audiovolume directly by changing the audio gain based on volume information(e.g., a gain value) included in the information packet.

In some examples, the volume modifier 424 may determine how to adjustaudio for playback in a bonded zone. For example, the primary playbackdevice may store what playback devices are included in the bonded zoneand the playback characteristics of the playback devices. Thus, in someexamples, the primary playback device is able to “personalize” audio forplayback for each playback device. That is, each playback device in thebonded zone may receive audio adjusted for playback that is optimizedfor the respective playback device. In some examples, the primaryplayback device may receive an indication to increase the volume.However, the audio volume may be set for the entire bonded zone. Thus,when adjusting the audio for each playback device, the audio adjustmentsfor each playback may be different to enable the group increase involume. That is, even though a volume up was input at a secondaryplayback device, to effectuate the volume up request for the bonded zoneaudio, the secondary playback device may not increase in volume. Rather,other playback devices in the bonded zone may playback adjusted audioaccordingly.

The audio amplifier 416 is a device(s) that amplifies audio signals to alevel for driving one or more speakers 418. The one or more speakers 418can include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”) or a completespeaker system that includes an enclosure including one or more drivers.A particular driver can be a subwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), amid-range driver (e.g., for middle frequencies), and a tweeter (e.g.,for high frequencies), for example. An enclosure can be sealed orported, for example. Each transducer may be driven by its own individualamplifier.

A commercial example, presently known as the PLAY:5™, is a zone playerwith a built-in amplifier and speakers that is capable of retrievingaudio directly from the source, such as on the Internet or on the localnetwork, for example. In particular, the PLAY:5™ is a five-amp,five-driver speaker system that includes two tweeters, two mid-rangedrivers, and one woofer. When playing audio content via the PLAY:5™, theleft audio data of a track is sent out of the left tweeter and leftmid-range driver, the right audio data of a track is sent out of theright tweeter and the right mid-range driver, and mono bass is sent outof the subwoofer. Further, both mid-range drivers and both tweeters havethe same equalization (or substantially the same equalization). That is,they are both sent the same frequencies but from different channels ofaudio. Audio from Internet radio stations, online music and videoservices, downloaded music, analog audio inputs, television, DVD, and soon, can be played from the PLAY:5™.

IV. Example Controller

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown an example block diagram forcontroller 500, which can correspond to the controlling device 130 inFIG. 1. Controller 500 can be used to facilitate the control ofmulti-media applications, automation and others in a system. Inparticular, the controller 500 may be configured to facilitate aselection of a plurality of audio sources available on the network andenable control of one or more zone players (e.g., the zone players102-124 in FIG. 1) through a wireless or wired network interface 508.According to one embodiment, the wireless communications is based on anindustry standard (e.g., infrared, radio, wireless standards includingIEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.15, 4G mobile communicationstandard, and so on). Further, when a particular audio is being accessedvia the controller 500 or being played via a zone player, a picture(e.g., album art) or any other data, associated with the audio and/oraudio source can be transmitted from a zone player or other electronicdevice to controller 500 for display.

Controller 500 is provided with a screen 502 and an input interface 514that allows a user to interact with the controller 500, for example, tonavigate a playlist of many multimedia items and to control operationsof one or more zone players. The screen 502 on the controller 500 can bean LCD screen, for example. The screen 500 communicates with and iscommanded by a screen driver 504 that is controlled by a microcontroller(e.g., a processor) 506. The memory 510 can be loaded with one or moreapplication modules 512 that can be executed by the microcontroller 506with or without a user input via the user interface 514 to achievecertain tasks. In some embodiments, an application module 512 isconfigured to facilitate grouping a number of selected zone players intoa zone group and synchronizing the zone players for audio playback. Insome embodiments, an application module 512 is configured to control theaudio sounds (e.g., volume) of the zone players in a zone group. Inoperation, when the microcontroller 506 executes one or more of theapplication modules 512, the screen driver 504 generates control signalsto drive the screen 502 to display an application specific userinterface accordingly.

The controller 500 includes a network interface 508 that facilitateswired or wireless communication with a zone player. In some embodiments,the commands such as volume control and audio playback synchronizationare sent via the network interface 508. In some embodiments, a savedzone group configuration is transmitted between a zone player and acontroller via the network interface 508. The controller 500 can controlone or more zone players, such as 102-124 of FIG. 1. There can be morethan one controller for a particular system, and each controller mayshare common information with another controller, or retrieve the commoninformation from a zone player, if such a zone player storesconfiguration data (e.g., such as a state variable). Further, acontroller can be integrated into a zone player.

It should be noted that other network-enabled devices such as an IPHONE™IPAD™ or any other smart phone or network-enabled device (e.g., anetworked computer such as a PC or MAC™) can also be used as acontroller to interact or control zone players in a particularenvironment. In some embodiments, a software application or upgrade canbe downloaded onto a network-enabled device to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

In certain embodiments, a user can create a zone group (also referred toas a bonded zone) including at least two zone players from thecontroller 500. The zone players in the zone group can play audio in asynchronized fashion, such that all of the zone players in the zonegroup playback an identical audio source or a list of identical audiosources in a synchronized manner such that no (or substantially no)audible delays or hiccups are to be heard. Similarly, in someembodiments, when a user increases the audio volume of the group fromthe controller 500, the signals or data of increasing the audio volumefor the group are sent to one of the zone players and causes other zoneplayers in the group to be increased together in volume.

In some embodiments including a bonded zone (e.g., one or more grouped,consolidated and/or paired zone players), one of the zone players may bedesignated as a primary playback device, while the remaining zoneplayer(s) may be designated as a secondary (or satellite) playbackdevice(s). In addition, any playback device may be designated a primaryplayback device for the bonded zone. A primary playback device performssignal processing on multimedia content (e.g., an audio stream, etc.)and sends processed (e.g., filtered) content to each secondary playbackdevice of the zone configuration. For example, a primary playback devicein a stereo pair may receive an audio stream and separate (e.g.,process) the left channel and the right channel of the audio stream forplayback. In some such embodiments, if the primary playback device istasked with playback of the left channel audio, then the primaryplayback device of the bonded zone sends (e.g., transmits, communicates,etc.) the right channel audio to the secondary playback device forplayback. In some such embodiments, the primary playback device adjuststhe sound (e.g., balance, volume levels and/or timing delays) of theaudio signal and sends the adjusted audio signal(s) to the secondaryplayback device(s).

A user via the controller 500 can group zone players into a zone groupby activating a “Link Zones” or “Add Zone” soft button, or de-grouping azone group by activating an “Unlink Zones” or “Drop Zone” button. Forexample, one mechanism for ‘joining’ zone players together for audioplayback is to link a number of zone players together to form a group.To link a number of zone players together, a user can manually link eachzone player or room one after the other. For example, assume that thereis a multi-zone system that includes the following zones: Bathroom,Bedroom, Den, Dining Room, Family Room, and Foyer.

In certain embodiments, a user can link any number of the six zoneplayers, for example, by starting with a single zone and then manuallylinking each zone to that zone.

In certain embodiments, a set of zones can be dynamically linkedtogether using a command to create a zone scene or theme (subsequent tofirst creating the zone scene). For instance, a “Morning” zone scenecommand can link the Bedroom, Office, and Kitchen zones together in oneaction. Without this single command, the user would manually andindividually link each zone. The single command may include a mouseclick, a double mouse click, a button press, a gesture, or some otherprogrammed or learned action. Other kinds of zone scenes can beprogrammed or learned by the system over time.

In certain embodiments, a zone scene can be triggered based on time(e.g., an alarm clock function). For instance, a zone scene can be setto apply at 8:00 am. The system can link appropriate zonesautomatically, set specific music to play, and then stop the music aftera defined duration. Although any particular zone can be triggered to an“On” or “Off” state based on time, for example, a zone scene enables anyzone(s) linked to the scene to play a predefined audio (e.g., afavorable song, a predefined playlist) at a specific time and/or for aspecific duration. If, for any reason, the scheduled music failed to beplayed (e.g., an empty playlist, no connection to a share, failedUniversal Plug and Play (UPnP), no Internet connection for an InternetRadio station, and so on), a backup buzzer can be programmed to sound.The buzzer can include a sound file that is stored in a zone player, forexample.

V. Playback Queue

As discussed above, in some embodiments, a zone player may be assignedto a playback queue identifying zero or more media items for playback bythe zone player. The media items identified in a playback queue may berepresented to the user via an interface on a controller. For instance,the representation may show the user (or users if more than onecontroller is connected to the system) how the zone player is traversingthe playback queue, such as by highlighting the “now playing” item,graying out the previously played item(s), highlighting the to-be-playeditem(s), and so on.

In some embodiments, a single zone player is assigned to or otherwiseassociated with a playback queue. For example, zone player 114 in thebathroom of FIG. 1 may be linked or assigned to a “Bathroom” playbackqueue. In an embodiment, the “Bathroom” playback queue might have beenestablished by the system as a result of the user naming the zone player114 to the bathroom. As such, contents populated and identified in the“Bathroom” playback queue can be played via the zone player 114 (thebathroom zone).

In some embodiments, a zone or zone group is assigned to a playbackqueue. For example, zone players 106 and 108 in the family room of FIG.1 may be linked or assigned to a “Family room” playback queue. Inanother example, if family room and dining room zones were grouped, thenthe new group would be linked or assigned to a “family room+dining room”playback queue. In some embodiments, the family room+dining roomplayback queue would be established based upon the creation of thegroup. In some embodiments, upon establishment of the new group, thefamily room+dining room playback queue can automatically include thecontents of one (or both) of the playback queues associated with eitherthe family room or dining room or both. In one instance, if the userstarted with the family room and added the dining room, then thecontents of the family room playback queue would become the contents ofthe family room+dining room playback queue. In another instance, if theuser started with the family room and added the dining room, then thefamily room playback queue would be renamed to the family room+diningroom playback queue. If the new group was “ungrouped,” then the familyroom+dining room playback queue may be removed from the system and/orrenamed to one of the zones (e.g., renamed to “family room” or “diningroom”). After ungrouping, each of the family room and the dining roomwill be assigned to a separate playback queue. One or more of the zoneplayers in the zone or zone group may store in memory the associatedplayback queue.

As such, when zones or zone groups are “grouped” or “ungrouped”dynamically by the user via a controller, the system will, in someembodiments, establish or remove/rename playback queues respectively, aseach zone or zone group is to be assigned to a playback queue. In otherwords, the playback queue operates as a container that can be populatedwith media items for playback by the assigned zone. In some embodiments,the media items identified in a playback queue can be manipulated (e.g.,re-arranged, added to, deleted from, and so on).

By way of illustration, FIG. 6 shows an example network 600 for mediacontent playback. As shown, the example network 600 includes examplezone players 612 and 614, example audio sources 662 and 664, and examplemedia items 620. The example media items 620 may include playlist 622,music track 624, favorite Internet radio station 626, playlists 628 and630, and album 632. In one embodiment, the zone players 612 and 614 maybe any of the zone players shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. For instance,zone players 612 and 614 may be the zone players 106 and 108 in theFamily Room.

In one example, the example audio sources 662 and 664, and example mediaitems 620 may be partially stored on a cloud network, discussed morebelow in connection to FIG. 8. In some cases, the portions of the audiosources 662, 664, and example media items 620 may be stored locally onone or both of the zone players 612 and 614. In one embodiment, playlist622, favorite Internet radio station 626, and playlist 630 may be storedlocally, and music track 624, playlist 628, and album 632 may be storedon the cloud network.

Each of the example media items 620 may be a list of media itemsplayable by a zone player(s). In one embodiment, the example media itemsmay be a collection of links or pointers (e.g., URI) to the underlyingdata for media items that are stored elsewhere, such as the audiosources 662 and 664. In another embodiment, the media items may includepointers to media content stored on the local zone player, another zoneplayer over a local network, or a controller device connected to thelocal network.

As shown, the example network 600 may also include an example queue 602associated with the zone player 612, and an example queue 604 associatedwith the zone player 614. Queue 606 may be associated with a group, whenin existence, comprising zone players 612 and 614. Queue 606 mightcomprise a new queue or exist as a renamed version of queue 602 or 604.In some embodiments, in a group (e.g., a bonded zone or a zone group),the zone players 612 and 614 would be assigned to queue 606 and queue602 and 604 would not be available at that time. In some embodiments,when the group is no longer in existence, queue 606 is no longeravailable. Each zone player and each combination of zone players in anetwork of zone players, such as those shown in FIG. 1 or that ofexample zone players 612, 614, and example combination 616, may beuniquely assigned to a corresponding playback queue.

A playback queue, such as playback queues 602, 604, 606, may includeidentification of media content to be played by the corresponding zoneplayer or combination of zone players. As such, media items added to theplayback queue are to be played by the corresponding zone player orcombination of zone players. The zone player may be configured to playitems in the queue according to a specific order (such as an order inwhich the items were added), in a random order, or in some other order.

The playback queue may include a combination of playlists and othermedia items added to the queue. In one embodiment, the items in playbackqueue 602 to be played by the zone player 612 may include items from theaudio sources 662, 664, or any of the media items 622, 624, 626, 628,630, 632. The playback queue 602 may also include items stored locallyon the zone player 612, or items accessible from the zone player 614.For instance, the playback queue 602 may include Internet radio 626 andalbum 632 items from audio source 662, and items stored on the zoneplayer 612.

When a media item is added to the queue via an interface of acontroller, a link to the item may be added to the queue. In a case ofadding a playlist to the queue, links to the media items in the playlistmay be provided to the queue. For example, the playback queue 602 mayinclude pointers from the Internet radio 626 and album 632, pointers toitems on the audio source 662, and pointers to items on the zone player612. In another case, a link to the playlist, for example, rather than alink to the media items in the playlist may be provided to the queue,and the zone player or combination of zone players may play the mediaitems in the playlist by accessing the media items via the playlist. Forexample, the album 632 may include pointers to items stored on audiosource 662. Rather than adding links to the items on audio source 662, alink to the album 632 may be added to the playback queue 602, such thatthe zone player 612 may play the items on the audio source 662 byaccessing the items via pointers in the playlist 632.

In some cases, contents as they exist at a point in time within aplayback queue may be stored as a playlist, and subsequently added tothe same queue later or added to another queue. For example, contents ofthe playback queue 602, at a particular point in time, may be saved as aplaylist, stored locally on the zone player 612 and/or on the cloudnetwork. The saved playlist may then be added to playback queue 604 tobe played by zone player 614.

VI. Example Ad-Hoc Network

Particular examples are now provided in connection with FIG. 7 todescribe, for purposes of illustration, certain embodiments to provideand facilitate connection to a playback network. FIG. 7 shows that thereare three zone players 702, 704 and 706 and a controller 708 that form anetwork branch that is also referred to as an Ad-Hoc network 710. Thenetwork 710 may be wireless, wired, or a combination of wired andwireless technologies. In general, an Ad-Hoc (or “spontaneous”) networkis a local area network or other small network in which there isgenerally no one access point for all traffic. With an establishedAd-Hoc network 710, the devices 702, 704, 706 and 708 can allcommunicate with each other in a “peer-to-peer” style of communication,for example. Furthermore, devices may join and/or leave from the network710, and the network 710 will automatically reconfigure itself withoutneeding the user to reconfigure the network 710. While an Ad-Hoc networkis referenced in FIG. 7, it is understood that a playback network may bebased on a type of network that is completely or partially differentfrom an Ad-Hoc network.

Using the Ad-Hoc network 710, the devices 702, 704, 706, and 708 canshare or exchange one or more audio sources and be dynamically grouped(or ungrouped) to play the same or different audio sources. For example,the devices 702 and 704 are grouped to playback one piece of music, andat the same time, the device 706 plays back another piece of music. Inother words, the devices 702, 704, 706 and 708, as shown in FIG. 7, forma HOUSEHOLD that distributes audio and/or reproduces sound. As usedherein, the term HOUSEHOLD (provided in uppercase letters todisambiguate from the user's domicile) is used to represent a collectionof networked devices that are cooperating to provide an application orservice. An instance of a HOUSEHOLD is identified with a household 710(or household identifier), though a HOUSEHOLD may be identified with adifferent area or place.

In certain embodiments, a household identifier (HHID) is a short stringor an identifier that is computer-generated to help ensure that it isunique. Accordingly, the network 710 can be characterized by a uniqueHHID and a unique set of configuration variables or parameters, such aschannels (e.g., respective frequency bands), service set identifier(SSID) (a sequence of alphanumeric characters as a name of a wirelessnetwork), and WEP keys (wired equivalent privacy) or other securitykeys. In certain embodiments, SSID is set to be the same as HHID.

In certain embodiments, each HOUSEHOLD includes two types of networknodes: a control point (CP) and a zone player (ZP). The control pointcontrols an overall network setup process and sequencing, including anautomatic generation of required network parameters (e.g., securitykeys). In an embodiment, the CP also provides the user with a HOUSEHOLDconfiguration user interface. The CP function can be provided by acomputer running a CP application module, or by a handheld controller(e.g., the controller 708) also running a CP application module, forexample. The zone player is any other device on the network that isplaced to participate in the automatic configuration process. The ZP, asa notation used herein, includes the controller 708 or a computingdevice, for example. In some embodiments, the functionality, or certainparts of the functionality, in both the CP and the ZP are combined at asingle node (e.g., a ZP contains a CP or vice-versa).

In certain embodiments, configuration of a HOUSEHOLD involves multipleCPs and ZPs that rendezvous and establish a known configuration suchthat they can use a standard networking protocol (e.g., IP over Wired orWireless Ethernet) for communication. In an embodiment, two types ofnetworks/protocols are employed: Ethernet 802.3 and Wireless 802.11g.Interconnections between a CP and a ZP can use either of thenetworks/protocols. A device in the system as a member of a HOUSEHOLDcan connect to both networks simultaneously.

In an environment that has both networks in use, it is assumed that atleast one device in a system is connected to both as a bridging device,thus providing bridging services between wired/wireless networks forothers. The zone player 706 in FIG. 7 is shown to be connected to bothnetworks, for example. The connectivity to the network 712 is based onEthernet and/or Wireless, while the connectivity to other devices 702,704 and 708 is based on Wireless and Ethernet if so desired.

It is understood, however, that in some embodiments each zone player706, 704, 702 may access the Internet when retrieving media from thecloud (e.g., the Internet) via the bridging device. For example, zoneplayer 702 may contain a uniform resource locator (URL) that specifiesan address to a particular audio track in the cloud. Using the URL, thezone player 702 may retrieve the audio track from the cloud, andultimately play the audio out of one or more zone players.

VII. Another Example System Configuration

FIG. 8 shows a system 800 including a plurality of interconnectednetworks including a cloud-based network and at least one local playbacknetwork. A local playback network includes a plurality of playbackdevices or players, though it is understood that the playback networkmay contain only one playback device. In certain embodiments, eachplayer has an ability to retrieve its content for playback. Control andcontent retrieval can be distributed or centralized, for example. Inputcan include streaming content provider input, third party applicationinput, mobile device input, user input, and/or other playback networkinput into the cloud for local distribution and playback.

As illustrated by the example system 800 of FIG. 8, a plurality ofcontent providers 820-850 can be connected to one or more local playbacknetworks 860-870 via a cloud and/or other network 810. Using the cloud810, a multimedia audio system server 820 (e.g., Sonos™), a mobiledevice 830, a third party application 840, a content provider 850 and soon can provide multimedia content (requested or otherwise) to localplayback networks 860, 870. Within each local playback network 860, 870,a controller 862, 872 and a playback device 864, 874 can be used toplayback audio content.

VIII. Example Methods of Satellite Volume Control

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative flowchart for an example method 900 forsatellite volume control, in accordance with at least some embodimentsdescribed herein. The example method 900 of FIG. 9 begins at block 902when user input is received at a playback device. For example, theplayback device (e.g., playback device 400 of FIG. 4) may include a userinterface such as a touch screen, a button(s), a control(s), amicrophone, etc. to receive user input. At block 904, a determination ismade whether the playback device is included in a bonded zone. If, atblock 904, the playback device is not included in a bonded zone, then,at block 906, the received user input is applied to the playback device.For example, the playback device makes adjustments to (e.g., processes)an audio signal for playback based on the user input. Control thenreturns to block 902 to receive another user input.

If, at block 904, the playback device is included in a bonded zone,then, at block 908, a determination is made as to whether the playbackdevice is a secondary playback device. For example, a processor (e.g.,the processor 408 of FIG. 4) checks the status of a primary flag (e.g.,the primary flag 422) included in a memory (e.g., the memory 410 of FIG.4). If, at block 908, the primary flag is cleared (e.g., a negativevalue, a “0,” a “no,” etc.), then the playback device is a secondaryplayback device. In contrast, if the primary flag is set (e.g., apositive value, a “1,” a “yes,” etc.), the playback device is a primaryplayback device.

If, at block 908, the playback device is determined to be a secondaryplayback device, then, at block 910, the secondary playback devicegenerates an information packet based on the user input. In someexamples, the secondary playback device may generate an informationpacket for each user input. For example, each volume up tap, gesture,voice command or other indication may generate an information packet. Insome examples, the secondary playback device may collect informationover a collection period and generate an information packet when thecollection period expires. For example, a timer (e.g., implemented usinga software module 414 stored in the memory 410 of FIG. 4 and executed bythe processor 408) corresponding to the collection period may initiatewhen user input is received (e.g., at block 902). The collection periodmay expire after half a second, one second, two seconds, etc. The userinput(s) received during the collection period are aggregated andincluded in an information packet.

At block 912, the secondary playback device sends the information packetto a primary playback device included in the bonded zone. For example,the secondary playback device may transmit (or communicate) theinformation packet to a primary playback device via a network (e.g., thedata network 128 of FIG. 1). In some examples, the secondary playbackdevice may transmit the information packet to an intermediary (or proxy)device (e.g., a second secondary playback device, a controller, aserver, a repeater, etc.) that forwards the information packet to theprimary playback device or a second intermediary device.

At block 914, the secondary playback device receives audio data from theprimary playback device, the audio data based on the user input includedin the information packet. In some examples, the audio data may be avolume adjusted (e.g., processed) audio signal for playback by thesecondary playback device. For example, the secondary playback devicemay be tasked with playback of left channel audio of an audio signalwhile the primary playback device may be tasked with playback of rightchannel audio of the audio signal. In some such examples, the audio datareceived by the secondary playback device may include left channel audiothat is volume adjusted based on the user input. In some examples, theaudio data may include gain parameter(s) to have the secondary deviceadjust the gain of the audio. In some examples, the audio data mayinclude a test tone(s) for the secondary playback device to playback.For example, during system configuration (e.g., a 5.1 sound system), atest tone or series of test tones may be periodically or aperiodicallyplayed by the different playback devices to enable a user to confirm theplayback device(s) are correctly associated with their respectivechannels, are positioned properly in the listening environment, etc. Forexample, a left channel audio test tone played back by a secondaryplayback device associated with right channel audio indicates thesecondary playback device is incorrectly positioned in the listeningenvironment or configured. Control then returns to block 902 to receiveanother user input.

Returning to block 908, if the playback device is a primary playbackdevice, then, at block 916, audio data is adjusted for playback based onuser input. In some examples, the primary playback device adjusts anaudio signal while the bonded zone of playback devices is in playbackmode but not playing content. For example, the bonded zone of playbackdevices may be in a paused playback mode. In some other examples, theprimary playback device adjusts a test tone(s) for playback by thebonded zone of playback devices. At block 918, the primary playbackdevice transmits the adjusted audio data for playback to each playbackdevice included in the bonded zone. Control then returns to block 902 toreceive another user input.

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative flowchart for an example method 1000 forvolume control in a bonded zone. The example method 1000 begins at block1002 when a primary playback device receives an information packet. Forexample, the primary playback device may receive an information packetincluding user input from a secondary playback device. In some otherexamples, the primary playback device may receive the user input via auser interface included or associated with the primary playback device.

At block 1004, a determination is made whether the bonded zone is inplayback mode. For example, a determination is made whether at least oneof the playback devices included in the bonded zone is outputting anaudio signal.

If, at block 1004, the bonded zone is in playback mode, then, at block1006, the primary playback device adjusts the audio signal based on theuser input. In some examples, a volume modifier (e.g., the volumemodifier 424 of FIG. 4) processes and/or adjusts the audio signal foreach playback device in the bonded zone. For example, a bonded zone thatincludes a full-frequency playback device, a subwoofer and two satelliteplayback devices (e.g., a left rear audio playback device and a rightrear audio playback device), may designate the full-frequency playbackdevice as the primary playback device. As a result, the full-frequencyplayback device receives full frequency spectrum audio and adjusts(e.g., filters) the audio frequency spectrum for the secondary playbackdevices. For example, the primary playback device may filter the lowfrequency spectrum audio to the subwoofer and the left- and right-rearaudio channels of the full frequency spectrum audio to the two satelliteplayback devices, respectively. At block 1008, the adjusted audio istransmitted to each respective playback device in the bonded zone.

In some examples, the playback device may include a buffer to store aportion of audio temporarily. In some such examples, the primaryplayback device may not send processed audio to the secondary playbackdevice. Rather, the primary playback device may send unprocessed audioto the secondary playback device and information (e.g., a packet, amessage, etc.) indicating how the secondary playback device is to adjustthe audio based on the user input. For example, a user may indicate toincrease the audio volume in a bonded zone including a primary playbackdevice and two secondary playback devices via one of the secondaryplayback devices. Accordingly, the primary playback device determinesaudio adjustments that the two secondary playback devices are to make tothe audio during playback. The primary playback device may send theaudio along with the audio adjustment for each of the two secondaryplayback devices to the respective secondary playback device. In someexamples, the playback devices (e.g., the primary playback device andthe two secondary playback devices) store the audio in the buffer whilethe volume modifier of each playback device processes the audio. Byusing the buffer, the audio at each of the playback devices can besynchronized before playback of the audio.

Control may then return to block 902 of FIG. 9 to receive user input.

Returning to block 1004, if the bonded zone is not in a playback mode(e.g., during a system configuration mode), then, at block 1010, adetermination is made whether the user input received at the primaryplayback device was included in an information packet. For example, asecondary playback device may generate and send an information packetincluding user input received at the secondary playback device to theprimary playback device. If, at block 1010, the received user input isincluded in an information packet (e.g., obtained from a secondaryplayback device), then, at block 1012, the primary playback devicereturns the information packet to the secondary playback device forprocessing. That is, in some examples, if a secondary playback devicereceives user input while the bonded zone is not in playback mode, thesecondary playback device is tasked with adjusting audio settingslocally. Control may then return to block 902 of FIG. 9 to receive userinput.

Returning to block 1010, if the user input is not included in aninformation packet (e.g., the user input was received at the primaryplayback device via a user interface included or otherwise associatedwith the primary playback device), then, at block 1014, the primaryplayback device makes adjustments to audio settings based on the userinput locally. That is, in some examples, the primary playback devicemay process the user input and not transmit information to the secondaryplayback device(s) in the bonded zone. Control may then return to block902 of FIG. 9 to receive user input.

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative flowchart for another example method 1100for volume control in a bonded zone. The example method 1100 begins atblock 1102 when a secondary playback device receives user input whilethe bonded zone is in playback mode. For example, the secondary playbackdevice may receive user input via a user interface included orassociated with the secondary playback device. At block 1104, thesecondary playback device identifies an audio content type. For example,the audio may be surround sound audio (e.g., television audio),2-channel audio (e.g., music such as streaming music over the Internet),etc. In some examples, the audio content type may be determined based oninformation included in (or with) the content or stream, such asmetadata, headers and/or tags. In some examples, the audio content typemay be determined based on device inputs. For example, content played oraccessed via the network interface may be assumed to be 2-channel stereowhile content played or accessed over an Optical Line may be assumed tobe a 5.1 sound system.

At block 1106, a determination is made whether the user inputcorresponds to the bonded zone based on the audio content type. Forexample, user input to increase the volume during playback of surroundsound audio corresponds to the bonded zone. As a result, at block 1108,the secondary playback device generates and sends an information packetwith the user input to the primary playback device. Control may thenproceed to block 902 of FIG. 9 to receive user input.

In some examples, at block 1106, the user input may not correspond tothe bonded zone based on the audio content type. For example, user inputto increase the volume during playback of 2-channel audio may beprocessed by the secondary playback device. In some examples, the userinput may correspond to a portion of the bonded zone. Control may thenproceed to block 902 of FIG. 9 to receive user input.

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative flow path for satellite volume control inan example environment 1200. The example environment 1200 includes atelevision 1202 and a bonded zone including a primary playback device1204 and secondary playback devices 1206, 1208, 1209, 1210 and 1211. Insome embodiments, primary playback device 1204 is a sound bar (e.g., aSONOS® PLAYBAR™), secondary playback device 1206 is a subwoofer (e.g., aSONOS® SUB™), and secondary playback devices 1208-1211 are fullfrequency spectrum playback devices (e.g., a SONOS® PLAY:3™, a SONOS®PLAY:5™, etc.). For the purposes of the following example, the playbackdevice 1204 is referred to as the sound bar 1204. While the sound bar1204 is designated the primary playback device in the illustratedexample, any of the playback devices 1204, 1206, 1208-1211 may bedesignated a primary playback device (with the sound bar 1204 as asecondary playback device). In some examples, environment 1200 mayinclude more or fewer playback devices and/or media presentation devicessuch as the television 1202.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 12, a user initiates satellite volumecontrol by selecting a volume change at the playback device 1211. Forexample, a user may select a “volume up” button included or otherwiseassociated with the playback device 1211. In the illustrated example,the volume change corresponds to an increment (e.g., a delta) ratherthan a scale number (e.g., a volume of “1,” “5,” “10,” etc.). Forexample, the increment may be “+2,” “+5,” “up,” etc.

In the illustrated example, an information packet 1212 including theuser input (e.g., volume change) is transmitted from the playback device1211 to the sound bar 1204. For example, the playback device 1211 maygenerate an information packet including the user input to send to thesound bar 1204. In some examples, the playback device 1211 may send aninformation packet for each selection by the user. That is, if the userselects the “volume up” button three times, then the playback device1211 generates and sends three information packets to the sound bar 1204for processing. In some examples, the playback device 1211 may collectuser inputs for a short period and send the collected user inputs in aninformation packet. For example, a collection period may be initiated inresponse to the first selection of the “volume up” button. In some suchexamples, the playback device 1211 aggregates selections made by theuser before the collection period expires into an information packet tosend to the sound bar 1204. For example, if a user selects the “volumeup” button three times in succession before a collection period,initiated after the first selection was received, expires, the playbackdevice 1211 generates an information packet indicating the user desiresto increase the volume at three increment levels (e.g., “+6,” “15,” “up,up, up,” etc.).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 12, a volume modifier included in thesound bar 1204 (e.g., the example volume modifier 424 of FIG. 4)processes the user input included in the information packet 1212. In theillustrated example, the playback devices 1204, 1206, 1208-1211 of thebonded zone are in playback mode and are playing audio associated withmedia being presented via the television 1204 (e.g., a movie, atelevision show, etc.). Accordingly, the volume modifier of the soundbar 1204 processes and transmits adjusted audio for playback by each ofthe playback devices. For example, the sound bar 1204 sends right-rearaudio channel of the full spectrum audio 1214 to the playback device1211, sends left-rear audio channel of the full spectrum audio 1215 tothe playback device 1210, sends right-front audio channel of the fullspectrum audio 1216 to the playback device 1209, sends left-front audiochannel of the full spectrum audio 1217 to the playback device 1208 andsends low frequency audio spectrum 1218 to the subwoofer 1206.

FIG. 13 shows an illustrative flow path for satellite volume control inan example environment 1300. The example environment 1300 includes atelevision 1302 and a bonded zone including a primary playback device1304 (e.g., a sound bar) and secondary playback devices 1306, 1308,1309, 1310 and 1311. In addition to the bonded zone of the environment1300, the playback devices 1308, 1309 are paired playback devices. Inthe illustrated example of FIG. 13, the bonded zone is not playing audio(e.g., in a paused playback mode, a stopped playback mode, etc.). Forthe purposes of the following example illustrated in FIG. 13, theplayback device 1304 is referred to as the sound bar 1304.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 13, a user 1301 initiates thesatellite volume control by selecting a volume change (e.g., a decreasein volume) at the playback device 1311. The playback device 1311transmits information packet 1312 including the user input to the soundbar 1304. In the illustrated example, the sound bar 1304 processes theinformation packet 1312 and sends audio data 1314, based on theinformation packet 1312, back to the playback device 1311. Playbackdevice 1311 then sends audio data 1316 to its paired playback device(e.g., the playback device 1310). In some embodiments, the sound bar1304 may send audio data 1314 to both paired playback devices 1310,1311.

In some embodiments, paired playback devices in a bonded zone mayinclude a primary playback device of the paired playback devices,resulting in a hierarchy of playback devices. For example, the playbackdevice 1310 may be a primary playback device for the paired playbackdevices 1310, 1311. However, the bonded zone also includes a primaryplayback device (e.g., the sound bar 1304). In some such examples, thebonded zone primary playback device may send audio data to the pairedprimary playback device, which then adjusts and transmits audio data tothe paired secondary playback device. For example, the playback device1311 may send information packet 1312 to the sound bar 1304. As aresult, the sound bar 1304 sends audio data 1314 to the playback device1310, which sends audio data 1316 to the playback device 1311.

FIG. 14 shows an illustrative flow path for satellite volume control inan example environment 1400. The example environment 1400 includes atelevision 1402 and a bonded zone including a primary playback device1404 (e.g., a sound bar) and secondary playback devices 1406, 1408,1409, 1410 and 1411. For the purposes of the following exampleillustrated in FIG. 14, the playback device 1404 is referred to as thesound bar 1404. In the illustrated example, multiple users select volumechanges on different secondary playback devices at the same time (or atnearly the same time). For example, a first user 1401 selects the“volume up” button included or otherwise associated with the playbackdevice 1411 three times. Accordingly, the playback device 1411 sends aninformation packet 1412 including the three user inputs to the sound bar1404. At the same time (or nearly the same time), a second user 1403selects the “volume up” button included or otherwise associated with theplayback device 1410. Accordingly, the playback device 1410 sends aninformation packet 1414 including the user input to the sound bar 1404.

In some embodiments, the sound bar 1404 processes each informationpacket received. For example, the sound bar 1404 adjusts (e.g.,increases) the bond zone audio volume in environment 1400 four incrementlevels (e.g., “+8,” “+20,” “up, up, up, up,” etc.). The sound bar 1404may send a first four increment level audio 1416 to the playback device1411 and a second four increment level audio 1418 to the playback device1410, respectively. As a result, the audio volume for the bonded zonesounds the same as if the “volume up” button had been selected fourtimes on either playback device 1410, 1411.

In some embodiments, if the sound bar 1404 receives multiple informationpackets within a period, the sound bar 1404 may discard one or more ofthe information packets. For example, when the information packets 1412,1414 are received by the sound bar 1404 at the same time (or at nearlythe same time), the sound bar 1404 may discard information packet 1414and adjust (e.g., increase) the bond zone audio volume in environment1400 three increment levels. In some embodiments, the sound bar 1404selects the first information packet received during the period anddiscards any other information packets received during the period. Insome embodiments, the sound bar 1404 randomly selects an informationpacket received during the period to process.

IX. Conclusion

The descriptions above disclose various example systems, methods,apparatus, and articles of manufacture including, among othercomponents, firmware and/or software executed on hardware. However, suchexamples are merely illustrative and should not be considered aslimiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of thesefirmware, hardware, and/or software components can be embodiedexclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively infirmware, or in any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.Accordingly, while the following describes example systems, methods,apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture, the examples provided are notthe only way(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/orarticles of manufacture.

As suggested above, the present application involves satellite volumecontrol. In one aspect, a method is provided. The method includesreceiving an input at a playback device to adjust a volume for aplurality of playback devices that are grouped for synchronous playbackof audio content, wherein the plurality of playback devices includes theplayback device. The method also includes sending a first message over anetwork from the playback device to a device associated with theplurality of playback devices, the first message including informationbased on the input, wherein the information is used to adjust the volumeof the plurality of playback devices. The method also includes receivinga second message at the playback device over the network, the secondmessage including information for the volume of the playback device,wherein the volume is based on the adjusted volume of the plurality ofplayback devices.

In another aspect, a system is provided. The system includes a pluralityof playback devices that are grouped for synchronous playback of audiocontent and a processor configured to execute instructions. Theinstructions are executable to cause the processor to receive an inputat a playback device to adjust a volume for the plurality of playbackdevices, wherein the plurality of playback devices includes the playbackdevice. The instructions to also cause the processor to send a firstmessage over a network from the playback device to a device associatedwith the plurality of playback devices, the first message to includeinformation based on the input, wherein the information is used toadjust the volume of the plurality of playback devices. The instructionsto also cause the processor to receive a second message at the playbackdevice over the network, the second message to include information forthe volume of the playback device, wherein the volume is based on theadjusted volume of the plurality of playback devices.

In a further aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions are executableby a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functionsincluding receiving an input at a playback device to adjust a volume fora plurality of playback devices that are grouped for synchronousplayback of audio content. The instructions to also cause the computingdevice to perform functions including sending a first message over anetwork from the playback device to a device associated with theplurality of playback devices, the first message including informationbased on the input, wherein the information is used to adjust the volumeof the plurality of playback devices. The instructions to also cause thecomputing device to perform functions including receiving a secondmessage at the playback device over the network, the second messageincluding information for the volume of the playback device, wherein thevolume is based on the adjusted volume of the plurality of playbackdevices.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of theinvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

The example processes of FIGS. 9-11 may be implemented using codedinstructions (e.g., computer and/or machine readable instructions)stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium such as a harddisk drive, a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a compact disk(CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a cache, a random-access memory(RAM) and/or any other storage device or storage disk in whichinformation is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended time periods,permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or forcaching of the information). As used herein, the term tangible computerreadable storage medium is expressly defined to include any type ofcomputer readable storage device and/or storage disk and to excludepropagating signals. As used herein, “tangible computer readable storagemedium” and “tangible machine readable storage medium” are usedinterchangeably. Additionally or alternatively, the example processes ofFIGS. 9-11 may be implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computerand/or machine readable instructions) stored on a non-transitorycomputer and/or machine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, aflash memory, a read-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatiledisk, a cache, a random-access memory and/or any other storage device orstorage disk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., forextended time periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarilybuffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, theterm non-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined toinclude any type of computer readable device or disc and to excludepropagating signals. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is usedas the transition term in a preamble of a claim, it is open-ended in thesame manner as the term “comprising” is open ended.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible mediumsuch as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on, storing the softwareand/or firmware.

We claim:
 1. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a first playbackdevice to perform functions comprising: receiving input indicating avolume adjustment; in response to receiving the input, determining thatthe first playback device is in a playback device group comprising thefirst playback device and a second playback device, wherein the firstplayback device and the second playback device are configured to playback audio synchronously; based on determining that the first playbackdevice is in the playback device group, determining whether the firstplayback device is playing back audio synchronously with the secondplayback device; if the first playback device is playing back audiosynchronously with the second playback device, adjusting audio data forplayback based on the input and transmitting the adjusted audio data tothe second playback device for playback; and if the first playbackdevice is not playing back audio synchronously with the second playbackdevice, adjusting a volume of the first playback device based on theinput.
 2. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim1, wherein receiving input indicating a volume adjustment comprises:receiving, from the second playback device, an information packetcomprising the input.
 3. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise: if the firstplayback device is not playing back audio synchronously with the secondplayback device and based on receiving the information packet comprisingthe input, transmitting, to the second playback device, the informationpacket.
 4. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the first playback device is configured to be afull-frequency playback device, and wherein the functions furthercomprise: joining the playback device group; based on the first playbackdevice being configured to be the full-frequency playback device,causing the first playback device to be a primary device and the secondplayback device to be a secondary device.
 5. The tangible,non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein if the firstplayback device is playing back audio synchronously with the secondplayback device, adjusting audio data for playback based on the inputand transmitting the adjusted audio data to the second playback devicefor playback comprises: if the first playback device is playing backaudio synchronously with the second playback device, adjustingrespective audio data for playback based on the input and transmittingthe respective adjusted audio data to the second playback device, athird playback device, and a fourth playback device for playback.
 6. Thetangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein ifthe first playback device is playing back audio synchronously with thesecond playback device, adjusting audio data for playback based on theinput and transmitting the adjusted audio data to the second playbackdevice for playback comprises: transmitting volume-adjusted audio datato the second playback device for playback.
 7. The tangible,non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein if the firstplayback device is playing back audio synchronously with the secondplayback device, adjusting audio data for playback based on the inputand transmitting the adjusted audio data to the second playback devicefor playback comprises: transmitting a gain value for audio playback bythe second playback device.
 8. A first playback device, comprising: aprocessor; and a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the firstplayback device to perform functions comprising: receiving inputindicating a volume adjustment; in response to receiving the input,determining that the first playback device is in a playback device groupcomprising the first playback device and a second playback device,wherein the first playback device and the second playback device areconfigured to play back audio synchronously; based on determining thatthe first playback device is in the playback device group, determiningwhether the first playback device is playing back audio synchronouslywith the second playback device; if the first playback device is playingback audio synchronously with the second playback device, adjustingaudio data for playback based on the input and transmitting the adjustedaudio data to the second playback device for playback; and if the firstplayback device is not playing back audio synchronously with the secondplayback device, adjusting a volume of the first playback device basedon the input.
 9. The first playback device of claim 8, wherein receivinginput indicating a volume adjustment comprises: receiving, from thesecond playback device, an information packet comprising the input. 10.The first playback device of claim 8, wherein the functions furthercomprise: if the first playback device is not playing back audiosynchronously with the second playback device and based on receiving theinformation packet comprising the input, transmitting, to the secondplayback device, the information packet.
 11. The first playback deviceof claim 8, wherein the first playback device is configured to be afull-frequency playback device, and wherein the functions furthercomprise: joining the playback device group; based on the first playbackdevice being configured to be the full-frequency playback device,causing the first playback device to be a primary device and the secondplayback device to be a secondary device.
 12. The first playback deviceof claim 11, wherein if the first playback device is playing back audiosynchronously with the second playback device, adjusting audio data forplayback based on the input and transmitting the adjusted audio data tothe second playback device for playback comprises: if the first playbackdevice is playing back audio synchronously with the second playbackdevice, adjusting respective audio data for playback based on the inputand transmitting the respective adjusted audio data to the secondplayback device, a third playback device, and a fourth playback devicefor playback.
 13. The first playback device of claim 8, wherein if thefirst playback device is playing back audio synchronously with thesecond playback device, adjusting audio data for playback based on theinput and transmitting the adjusted audio data to the second playbackdevice for playback comprises: transmitting volume-adjusted audio datato the second playback device for playback.
 14. The first playbackdevice of claim 8, wherein if the first playback device is playing backaudio synchronously with the second playback device, adjusting audiodata for playback based on the input and transmitting the adjusted audiodata to the second playback device for playback comprises: transmittinga gain value for audio playback by the second playback device.
 15. Amethod, comprising: receiving, by a first playback device, inputindicating a volume adjustment; in response to receiving the input,determining that the first playback device is in a playback device groupcomprising the first playback device and a second playback device,wherein the first playback device and the second playback device areconfigured to play back audio synchronously; based on determining thatthe first playback device is in the playback device group, determiningwhether the first playback device is playing back audio synchronouslywith the second playback device; if the first playback device is playingback audio synchronously with the second playback device, adjustingaudio data for playback based on the input and transmitting the adjustedaudio data to the second playback device for playback; and if the firstplayback device is not playing back audio synchronously with the secondplayback device, adjusting a volume of the first playback device basedon the input.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving inputindicating a volume adjustment comprises: receiving, from the secondplayback device, an information packet comprising the input.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: if the first playback device isnot playing back audio synchronously with the second playback device andbased on receiving the information packet comprising the input,transmitting, to the second playback device, the information packet. 18.The method of claim 15, wherein the first playback device is configuredto be a full-frequency playback device, and wherein the method furthercomprises: joining the playback device group; based on the firstplayback device being configured to be the full-frequency playbackdevice, causing the first playback device to be a primary device and thesecond playback device to be a secondary device.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein if the first playback device is playing back audiosynchronously with the second playback device, adjusting audio data forplayback based on the input and transmitting the adjusted audio data tothe second playback device for playback comprises: if the first playbackdevice is playing back audio synchronously with the second playbackdevice, adjusting respective audio data for playback based on the inputand transmitting the respective adjusted audio data to the secondplayback device, a third playback device, and a fourth playback devicefor playback.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein if the first playbackdevice is playing back audio synchronously with the second playbackdevice, adjusting audio data for playback based on the input andtransmitting the adjusted audio data to the second playback device forplayback comprises: transmitting volume-adjusted audio data to thesecond playback device for playback.